Wire tightening tool



Patented Nov.l 7, 1944 UNITED STATES Pririslv'r orifice' WIRE TIGHTENING TOOL Benedetto G. Caprmsacramento, Calif. Application November 9, 1942, Serial No. 465,069 v (o1. :i1-9.3)

1 Claim.

as the clamping means for the lagging in placev of the usual preformed band now used forthe purpose, and which is not only slow to mount but tends to become loose in time if considerable vibration is present, as in locomotive service.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a tool for the purpose so arranged that a length of wire, when initially bent to a predetermined shape and placed about the lagging,

may be quickly and easily tightened on the lagging so as to hold the latter in close engagement with the pipe. The tool is so arrangedso that it may be manipulated, when the wire is thus tightened, to bend said wire in such a. manner as to positively prevent relaxing or slipping of the tightened wire; so that when the tool is removed the wire will be maintained in the proper clamping relation on the lagging.

The tool includes a ,screw rod and a nut through which the rod is threaded. With continuedoperationthe threads tend to wear out, while the remainder of the tool may remain in perfect condition.

Another-'object of the invention is to so mount the rod and nut that either one may be readily replaced without the necessity of discarding the entire tool, and thus lengthening the useful life of the tool considerably with but slight upkeep expense. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly elective for the purpose for which itis designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts. as will fully appear by a. perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters. of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool as inv operation.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the vwardly from the rear end of the shank. and a nose 3 projecting upwardly from saidshank at its front end. The nose tapers to a rounded forward end and is there formed with a transverse arcuate wire engaging groove 4 of circular cross section. Thel under side of the nose is preferably formed with a longitudinal-concave slope disposed at an acute angle to the under side of the shank, Iwhile the groove l is disposed in a plane above the upper face of the shank.

Extending lengthwise of the shank and turn ably and removablyprojecting through the boss 2 is a rod 5, the forward portion of which is threaded as at Ii. The axis oi this rod is disposed substantially in the transverse plane of the groove 4. Rearwardly of the boss the rod provjects through and is removably secured, as by-a pin 1, to the hub 8 of a crank handle 9, this hub serving as a shoulder engaging the boss to prevent forward movement of the rod.

v'lhe threaded portion of the rod projects through a, square nut I0 of common Vform and wider than the shank I. The nut is removably located in transverse slots II formed in a rectangular cage or yoke I2 which surrounds the shank and rod, and whose sides slidably engage the shank. The nut is thus held against rotation and must move as a unit with the cage upon rotation of the screw. The slots II are disposed so that the nut rides the upper surface of the shank I, as shown in Fig. 2, thus maintaining the cage necessity of replacing both the rod and handle as aunit. I

The top of the cage is extended rearwardly to form a Wire engaging horizontal claw I3.

In operation, a length of wire Il of suitable nature is initially bent double so as to form a loop kI5 substantially centrally of its ends and the diameter of which loop is greater than the width of the nose at its. forward end so as to receive the nose therein in' clearance relation, as shown in Fig. 2. The wire'is then bent about the lagging IB on a pipe I1 with the free end portions of the wire passing through the loop. The tool is then placed on the lagging, between said portions of the wire, with the under side of the nose engaging the lagging and with the nose groove With the shank held in one hand the handlev 9 is rotated with the other in a direction to retractthe cage, sothat the wire is drawn tightly about the lagging.

When the desired tightening or temion has been obtained, the tool is tipped forwardly about the forward end of the nose as an axis, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to bend the adjacent portions of the free ends of the wire about the loop I5 and prevent slipping of said ends when the tool is released; the nature .of the wire used being such that it remains bentrof it self. The wire is then released from the tool by advancing the cage, the wire ends are cut off a short distance beyond the bends just made, and

such ends are then hammered down against the` lagging. Y

' I'he curvature on the under side of the nose allows thewire engaging groove 4 to be quite close to the lagging, so that the wiring, even at the loop I5, is always maintained close to the lagging and a slack-forming gap of any size between the crossing parts of the wire is avoided.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such aAdevice as substantially fulfills the objects of thek invention as set forth herein.

While this speciiication sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of therdevice, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as 'do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A wire clamping tool comprising a shank of substantially rectangular cross section, a boss projecting upwardly from the rear end of the shank, a nose projecting forwardly from the front end of the shank and provided with wire engaglng means at its outer end, a wire pulling unit including a rectangular cage surrounding the shank and adapted to' travel longitudinally along the Same. Such Cage having a transverse slot formed therethrough, an interiorly threaded nut removably mounted i'n the slot in non-turnable relation with respect to the cage, a rod projecting through the boss on the shank and held against forward movement relative thereto, threads on the outer end of the rod engaging the threads in the nut whereby rotation of the rod in one direction or thel other will advance or retract the cage, and means to rotate the rod; the outer end vof the rod being free so'that it may be disengaged from the threads of the nut whereby the latter may be withdrawn from the slot and another nut substituted therefor.

BNEDE'ITO G. CAPRA. 

